What is the UK? Its four parts, Great Britain and the places linked to it
Facts checked on GOV.UK and other UK government websites on 5 October 2026.
Overview
This chapter is about names. Which places are in the UK, and which places are not?
The UK has four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Toponymic guidelines for the United Kingdom). The UK Parliament at Westminster makes laws for all four (Understanding legislation). There is also a parliament or an assembly in Scotland, in Wales and in Northern Ireland. Each one makes decisions in some areas only (Devolution: guidance for civil servants).
Some islands are not part of the UK. Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies. Each one governs itself (Crown Dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). Other places around the world, for example the Falkland Islands and St Helena, are British overseas territories. They are not part of the UK either (The Overseas Territories and the Home Office; Falkland Islands travel advice; St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha travel advice).
What the test likes to ask
Make sure that you can answer these questions:
- Which parts make up the UK? All four, with Northern Ireland.
- Which parts make up Great Britain? Three, without Northern Ireland.
- Is a place part of the UK? Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and the overseas territories are not.
- What type of place is it? Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies. The Falkland Islands and St Helena are overseas territories.
Common confusions
The UK and Great Britain are not the same. Great Britain has three parts. The UK has four. Northern Ireland is in the UK, but it is not in Great Britain. The full name of the country shows this too: it gives Great Britain and Northern Ireland as two separate parts.
A Crown dependency and an overseas territory are not the same. Both are outside the UK, and both have a link to it. There are three Crown dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. The overseas territories are in other places around the world, for example the Falkland Islands and St Helena. Remember that St Helena belongs in this second group.
"The Channel Islands" is the name of a group of islands. It means Jersey and Guernsey, and the small islands near them. It is not the name of one Crown dependency. Jersey is one Crown dependency, and Guernsey is another.
The facts
Tier 1: asked most often
- Comes up in the real exam The UK Parliament at Westminster governs the whole UK. There is also a parliament or an assembly in Scotland, in Wales and in Northern Ireland. Each one makes decisions in the areas that the UK Parliament gave to it.
- Comes up in the real exam The UK has four parts. They are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Comes up in the real exam Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies. Jersey and Guernsey are the Channel Islands. Each Crown dependency has a close link to the UK and its own government, but it is not part of the UK.
- Comes up in the real exam Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales only. It does not include Northern Ireland. In the full name of the country, Great Britain and Northern Ireland are two separate parts.
- The UK has a number of overseas territories around the world. St Helena and the Falkland Islands are two of them. Each one has ties to the UK, but it is outside the UK.
- Do not put St Helena in the wrong group. It is one of the British overseas territories, not one of the Crown dependencies.